In recent years, footwear has received greater attention as an increasingly important fashion accessory. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the sneaker industry which has rapidly evolved from the traditional white or black canvas high top or low cut sneaker to now include a staggering array of styles, designs, colors and materials. The widespread availability of different styles, designs and colors now enables people, particularly children, teenagers and young adults, to make a fashion statement by coordinating their sneakers with the rest of their clothing. Because of this, it is not uncommon for one person to own several different pairs of sneakers to be worn on different occasions and with different outfits.
One drawback to this desire to own many different pairs of sneakers is cost. In this regard, the availability of sneakers in a wide range of styles, designs and colors and their increased popularity have driven up the price of sneakers substantially. This, in combination with the desire to have several pairs of sneakers, has placed a significant financial burden on purchasers.
A similar situation exists in the context of women's shoes, where women find it important to have a pair of shoes to match each of their outfits. Attempts have been made in the past to diminish the cost impact of this need by providing transparent footwear having inserts which can be changed to match the particular outfit being worn.
One such effort is documented in U.S. Pat. No. 2,887,792 to Staff. This patent is directed to a pair of transparent plastic women's pumps having a removable insert which is colored or textured to match the ensemble being worn. The insert is positioned behind a transparent vamp so that its color or design is clearly visible. In addition to the vamp, the heel of the shoe is also formed from a transparent material, although the outer sole and inner sole are not.
In Riesing, U.S. Pat. No. 2,381,389, a shoe is formed with a transparent or translucent bottom to which is attached colored straps or ribbons for holding the shoe to the wearer's foot. The patentee states that the straps or ribbons may be changed to those of a different color in order to match the clothes of the wearer.
Although the foregoing references describe efforts to change the appearance of a pair of footwear, the footwear industry generally has failed to suggest a way of quickly and inexpensively changing the overall appearance of sneakers and other laced shoes. More particularly, there has been a failure in the footwear industry to suggest the desirability of providing transparent laced footwear, and specifically transparent sneakers, the overall appearance of which can be easily changed to reflect the whim and desire of the wearer. There therefore exists a need for laced footwear, and particularly transparent sneakers, which can be modified with little effort to create an entirely different overall aesthetic appearance.